U.S. patent number 11,247,800 [Application Number 16/354,367] was granted by the patent office on 2022-02-15 for press-on device with motor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to MULTIVAC MARKING & INSPECTION GMBH & CO. KG. The grantee listed for this patent is Multivac Marking & Inspection GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Markus Dauwe, Udo Henrichs, Andreas Reichert, Frank Tautz.
United States Patent |
11,247,800 |
Tautz , et al. |
February 15, 2022 |
Press-on device with motor
Abstract
A press-on device for a labeling machine that presses an
adhesive label onto a product package. The press-on device may
comprise a slide element as a support for a product package, a
conveying unit for conveying a product package along a conveying
direction, and a folding element for folding an adhesive label
applied to an upper surface of the product package and projecting
beyond the package. The press-on device additionally comprises a
motor and a press-on unit driven by the motor and moved in a linear
movement during operation of the press-on device, the press-on unit
being configured to press an end of the adhesive label onto a lower
surface of the product package during the linear movement of the
press-on unit.
Inventors: |
Tautz; Frank (Rahden,
DE), Dauwe; Markus (Hilter, DE), Henrichs;
Udo (Bielefeld, DE), Reichert; Andreas (Lage,
DE) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Multivac Marking & Inspection GmbH & Co. KG |
Enger |
N/A |
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
MULTIVAC MARKING & INSPECTION
GMBH & CO. KG (Enger, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
1000006116847 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/354,367 |
Filed: |
March 15, 2019 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190283917 A1 |
Sep 19, 2019 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Mar 16, 2018 [DE] |
|
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102018204037.0 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65C
1/042 (20130101); B65C 9/36 (20130101); B65C
9/30 (20130101); B65C 1/045 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65C
9/36 (20060101); B65C 1/04 (20060101); B65C
9/30 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2985235 |
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Mar 2017 |
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EP |
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2525495 |
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Oct 2015 |
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GB |
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2014179829 |
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Nov 2014 |
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WO |
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2018002242 |
|
Jan 2018 |
|
WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Tucker; Philip C
Assistant Examiner: Blades; John
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brooks Kushman P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A press-on device for a labeling machine used to press an
adhesive label onto a product package, the press-on device
comprising: a slide element as a support for a product package; a
conveying unit for conveying the product package along a conveying
direction; and a folding element for folding an adhesive label
applied to an upper surface of the product package, wherein the
adhesive label projects beyond the upper surface of the product
package when the adhesive label is applied to the upper surface of
the product package; wherein the press-on device additionally
comprises a press-on unit and a motor to drive the press-on unit,
wherein the press-on unit is disposed to travel over a linear
movement during operation of the press-on device, the press-on unit
is configured to press an end of the adhesive label onto a lower
surface of the product package during the linear movement, and the
press-on unit is disposed so that the linear movement is in a
direction that forms an oblique angle .alpha. relative to the
conveying direction of the product package and the linear movement
is in a plane parallel to the conveying direction, and wherein the
motor and the press-on unit are configured so that the press-on
unit is able to follow the product package as the conveying unit
continuously conveys the product package along the conveying
direction.
2. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the press-on
unit comprises at least one of: a press-on brush, a press-on
roller, or a press-on blade.
3. The press-on device according to claim 1, further comprising a
carriage disposed on a guide, wherein the press-on unit is arranged
on the carriage, the carriage being drivingly connected to the
motor via a belt, and the belt is configured to transmit a rotary
movement of the motor to a linear movement of the carriage.
4. The press-on device according to claim 3, wherein the guide
comprises two parallel rods.
5. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the press-on
unit is oriented at at least one right angle to the product package
at a home position of the press-on unit and during the linear
movement of the press-on unit.
6. The press-on device according to claim 5, wherein the home
position of the press-on unit is adjustable for adapting the
press-on device to product packages of various sizes.
7. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the motor
comprises a controller to control the linear movement of the
press-on unit at a constant speed during a press-on process.
8. The press-on device according to claim 7, wherein during at
least part of the press-on process, the speed of the press-on unit
equals a conveying speed/cosine (.alpha.).
9. The press-on device according to claim 7, wherein the controller
is operable to cause the press-on unit to move from a rear end
position directly back to a home position after the press-on
process.
10. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying
unit is configured to continuously convey the product package.
11. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the press-on
device comprises an additional press-on unit, wherein the press-on
unit and the additional press-on unit are arranged on different
sides of the press-on device when the press-on unit and the
additional press-on unit are each at a respective home position,
and wherein the additional press-on unit is configured to press an
additional end of the adhesive label onto the lower surface of the
product package.
12. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein during at
least part of a press-on process in which the end of the adhesive
label is pressed onto the lower surface of the product package by
the press-on unit, a speed of the press-on unit is based on a
conveying speed of the product package divided by cosine
(.alpha.).
13. The press-on device according to claim 1, wherein the slide
element is configured to support the lower surface of the product
package and has an opening for allowing the linear movement of the
press-on unit.
14. A method for pressing an end of an adhesive label onto a lower
surface of a product package, the method comprising: applying an
adhesive label onto an upper surface of a product package such that
the adhesive label has at least one end that projects beyond the
upper surface; conveying the product package along a conveying
direction using a conveying unit; folding the adhesive label around
an upper edge of the product package using a folding element;
driving a press-on unit using a motor in a linear movement; and
pressing an end of the adhesive label onto a lower surface of the
product package using the press-on unit while the press-on unit is
being driven in the linear movement; wherein the linear movement
executed by the press-on unit takes place at an oblique angle
.alpha. relative to the conveying direction of the product package
and the linear movement is in a plane parallel to the conveying
direction, and wherein the motor and the press-on unit are
configured so that the press-on unit follows the product package
during pressing as the conveying unit continuously conveys the
product package along the conveying direction.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the linear movement,
which is executed by the press-on unit, is carried out at a speed v
equal to a conveying speed/cosine (.alpha.) during a press-on
process.
16. The method according to claim 14 further comprising supporting
the product package on a slide element that has an opening for
allowing the press-on unit to execute the linear movement.
17. A press-on device for a labeling machine used to press an
adhesive label onto a product package, the press-on device
comprising: a conveying unit for conveying a product package along
a conveying direction; a folding element for folding an adhesive
label applied to an upper surface of the product package, wherein
the adhesive label projects beyond the upper surface of the product
package when the adhesive label is applied to the upper surface of
the product package; a press-on unit; and a motor to drive the
press-on unit; wherein the press-on unit is configured to travel
over a linear movement during operation of the press-on device, the
press-on unit is configured to perform a press-on process to press
an end of the adhesive label onto a lower surface of the product
package during the linear movement, the press-on unit is configured
so that the linear movement is in a direction that forms an oblique
angle .alpha. relative to the conveying direction of the product
package, and, during at least part of the press-on process, a speed
of the press-on unit equals a conveying speed of the product
package divided by cosine (.alpha.), and wherein the press-on unit
is configured to follow the product package during the press-on
process as the conveying unit continuously conveys the product
package along the conveying direction.
18. The press-on device according to claim 17 further comprising a
slide element configured to support the product package, wherein
the slide element has an opening for allowing the linear movement
of the press-on unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application claims priority to German Patent Application No.
102018204037.0 filed on Mar. 16, 2018 to Frank Tautz, Markus Dauwe,
Udo Henrichs and Andreas Reichert, currently pending, the entire
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a press-on device for a labeling
machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Food products are often placed or introduced in portions into a
thermoformed plastic tray and, subsequently, the tray is sealed in
an airtight manner with a plastic film, e.g. using a heat-sealed
seam. In order to provide consumers with information on the
contents of such a product package, printed labels are additionally
applied to the product package. Band- or strip-shaped labels, which
may also extend across lateral surfaces of a product package, i.e.
which encompass the product package at least partially, are
becoming increasingly popular. In this context it is important that
the labels are applied straight and wrinkle-free, and that this is
done in a flow of goods moving on a production line as fast and as
continuously a possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved
press-on device for pressing an adhesive label onto a product
package.
This object may be achieved by a press-on device having the
features described herein and by a method for pressing-on an end of
an adhesive label also described herein. A press-on device
according to the present invention for a labeling machine, used for
pressing an adhesive label onto a product package, may comprise a
slide element as a support for a product package, a conveying unit
for conveying a product package along a conveying direction, and a
folding element for folding an adhesive label applied to an upper
surface of the product package and projecting therebeyond. The
slide element may be a slide plate having a low coefficient of
friction, but it may also have rollers or actively driven belts for
thus supporting the conveyance of the product package through the
conveying unit. Upstream in the conveying section, a device may be
provided as part of the labeling machine, the device being
configured for applying the adhesive label to the upper surface of
the product package. The press-on device additionally comprises a
motor, e.g. a servo motor, and a press-on unit driven by the motor
and moved in a linear movement during operation of the press-on
device. The press-on unit may be configured to press an end of the
adhesive label onto a lower surface of the product package using
said linear movement. It follows that the product package may
arrive at the press-on device with the label disposed on the upper
surface of the product package in a substantially horizontal
orientation, the projecting part of said label being first folded
downwards by the folding element preferably substantially
vertically. The folding element may here be a straight or a curved
folding strip, a straight or a curved folding rod or a combination
of a plurality of such components in the form of a deflection unit.
The press-on device then applies the end of the downwardly directed
adhesive label onto the lower surface of the product package with a
sweeping movement. In the course of this process, the product
package rests on the suitably shaped slide element such that,
during its movement along the conveying direction, the area of its
lower surface, where the adhesive label may be just being pressed
on, will always remain free in some embodiments. Thus, a normally
narrow, elongated label can extend from an upper surface along a
lateral side down to a lower surface of a product package and
encompass a product package in this way. With an appropriate
design, the adhesive label will serve to present the product in an
appealing and informative manner. Making use of the press-on device
described here, the pressing of an end of the adhesive label onto
the lower surface of the product package can take place while the
product package may be being conveyed.
Preferably, the press-on unit may comprise a press-on brush or a
press-on roller or a press-on blade. The press-on brush normally
comprises elongated bristles arranged along a line of narrow width,
which may be directed upwards perpendicularly or at an oblique
angle. Preferably, the length of the press-on brush along the
conveying direction of the product package corresponds at least to
the width of the adhesive label to be pressed on. The same applies
to a press-on roller or a press-on blade, but all three components
may also be smaller or larger than the width of the adhesive label.
Since a transverse relative movement between the press-on unit and
the product package may be eliminated due to the described
arrangement and control of the press-on unit, a distortion of the
label will reliably be prevented.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the press-on unit may be
arranged such that the linear movement executed thereby will take
place preferably at an angle .alpha. of approx. -65.degree. to
-75.degree. relative to the conveying direction of the product
package. This kind of movement sums up two movements, viz. the
movement which may be orthogonal to the conveying direction and to
the movement of the product package, respectively, and which serves
to brush on the adhesive label and the movement which follows the
product package along the conveying direction. It follows that the
brushing on of the adhesive label can take place during the
continuous movement of the product package in the continuous flow
of goods.
According to an expedient embodiment, the press-on unit may be
arranged on a carriage supported on a guide, the carriage being
connected to the motor or servo motor via a belt. The belt may be
here configured e.g. for transmitting a rotary movement of the
motor as a linear movement to the carriage and thus to the press-on
unit. The belt may be, on the one hand, stationarily connected to
the carriage and, on the other hand, it runs over a pulley driven
by the rotor of the motor. The press-on unit may be normally
releasably connected to the carriage, e.g. by one or a plurality of
screw connections, but it may also be formed integrally with the
carriage. The use of a servo motor may be particularly
advantageous, since its control mechanism allows exact travel
distances and speeds. By changing its direction of rotation, a
forward and a reverse movement can be generated. If the press-on
unit or even only the press-on brush may be releasably attached to
the carriage, they can be replaced, so as to use press-on brushes
of different sizes or replace press-on brushes that are worn, while
the drive components can remain unchanged. Instead of a belt-driven
rotary motor, also a linear motor may be used for moving the
carriage.
Typically, the guide comprises two parallel, preferably cylindrical
rods. The carriage may be supported on the rods via respective
openings, e.g. holes, and can be pulled therealong by the belt. The
rods may be arranged exactly one above the other in the vertical
plane, but they may also be diagonally offset. The use of two
parallel rods ensures stable support and guidance of the carriage,
the latter being thus stably protected against tilting.
Ideally, the carriage comprises two surfaces, which each extend
through an opening of a cover unit. In order to protect the drive
components of the press-on unit against dirt, and an operator at
the conveying path against moving parts, the drive components may
be arranged in a housing. In order to transfer the movement of the
carriage from the interior of the cover unit, i.e. the housing,
slots or openings are provided in the upper surface of the cover
unit. In order to achieve the highest possible rigidity, two
parallel surfaces, which are oriented vertically and which extend
parallel to the direction of movement, will be of advantage. In
this way, the openings in the cover unit can be as narrow as
possible, their length being adapted to the necessary travel
distance.
According to a preferred variant, the press-on unit may be, at a
home position and during the linear movement, oriented at right
angles to the product package. As regards the correspondingly
arranged press-on brush, this means that its linearly arranged
bristles extend substantially along the conveying direction of the
product package and, due to the movement of the press-on unit,
which takes place orthogonally thereto, the adhesive label will
always be brushed on by the entire length of the press-on brush.
This guarantees that all the areas of the adhesive label will be
pressed onto the lower surface of the product package.
According to a particularly advantageous variant, the home position
of the press-on unit may be adjustable for adapting the press-on
device to product packages of various sizes. In this way, the
starting point of the linear movement can be displaced outwards or
inwards in relation to the conveying direction within the limits of
the maximum possible travel distance. The end point or turning
point may be determined symmetrically thereto. This allows the
travel distance to be adapted to the product packages such that it
will always be minimal, i.e. just as long as necessary. Hence, the
time required for the press-on process will always be kept to a
minimum, and this leads to a maximum throughput of product
packages.
Preferably, a (servo) motor controller may be configured for
controlling the linear movement of the press-on unit such that it
has a constant speed .nu. during the press-on process. In view of
the fact that the product packages are usually conveyed at a
constant conveying speed, it will be advisable to adapt the
movement of the press-on brush thereto, so as to prevent an
additional disadvantageous relative movement. Hence, acceleration
and deceleration takes place before or after the press-on process.
In this way, it is guaranteed that the press-on brush will always
assume the correct position with respect to the adhesive label. The
controller and the motor would, however, also be suitable for
realizing a variable speed pattern during the press-on process.
According to an expedient embodiment, the speed .nu. of the
press-on unit is .nu.=conveying speed/cosine (.alpha.), at least
during part of the press-on process. As described above, .alpha. is
the angle enclosed by the linear movement of the press-on unit and
by the conveying direction of the product package. It follows that,
depending on the angle .alpha. and the conveying speed of the
product package, .nu. is the speed of the press-on unit that is
required for executing the press-on movement and for simultaneously
following the movement of the product package. In this way, the
adhesive label can be pressed on uniformly and completely.
According to a common variant, the (servo) motor controller may be
configured such that, after the press-on process, the press-on unit
may be moved from a rear end position directly back to the home
position. The press-on unit may be therefore decelerated as quickly
as possible and, subsequently, directly accelerated to a return
movement. Hence, there will be no standstill at the turning
position. Since no constant speeds need to be observed during the
return movement, an acceleration as quick and as long as possible
can take place during this return movement, in order to then,
possibly after a phase of constant travel, which is, however, not
mandatory, decelerate the press-on unit until it has reached its
home position. This allows the travel times to be kept to a minimum
and the cycle performance, i.e. the product packages processed per
unit time, to be kept to a maximum.
According to a further variant, the conveying unit comprises a head
belt for conveying the product package. The head belt may be
arranged such that it enters into contact with the product package
from above and moves the latter across the slide element of the
press-on unit using a frictional force. The materials chosen for
the head belt may be materials that establish a particularly high
static friction with the product package, such as rubber or rubber
mixtures, whereas the slide element should have as low a friction
coefficient as possible, as may be the case with polished stainless
steel or Teflon, by way of example. Due to the arrangement of the
conveying unit above the product package, the lower surface of the
product package can remain accessible for pressing on the adhesive
label.
Usually, the conveying unit may be configured for conveying the
product packages continuously. The product package, which has been
labeled from above, may be fed via a conveyor body and transferred
to the press-on device. When the conveying speeds of the feeding
conveyor body and of the head belt of the press-on unit are equal,
the transfer of the product package and the conveyance of the
latter within the press-on unit will take place as a continuous
movement. To this end, the speed of the conveying unit can be
adjusted via a controller. The cycle performance of the press-on
unit can thus be synchronized with the other stations of the
conveying path and there will be no necessity of providing a
collecting or a delay area upstream of the press-on unit.
According to a further variant, the press-on device comprises two
press-on units, which, at their respective home position, are
arranged on different sides of the press-on device, so as to press
a respective end of an adhesive label onto the lower surface of the
product package. This allows an adhesive label, which may be
disposed on the upper surface of a product package and which
projects on both sides, a right and a left side, to be first folded
at the respective ends using two folding elements into a
substantially vertical orientation, whereupon the ends can be
pressed from the left and from the right hand side onto the lower
surface of the product package using the two press-on units. It
follows that the motion components of the two press-on units
orthogonal to the conveying direction are oppositely directed,
whereas the motion components along the conveying direction are
equal.
According to an expedient embodiment the press-on units are
arranged such that the motion paths of their linear movements will
not intersect. This can be realized e.g. by arranging the press-on
units such that their traveling paths are located one after the
other along the conveying direction. In this way, it may be
possible to guide an adhesive label from the upper surface of a
product package via two lateral surfaces to the lower surface and
to press it then onto said lower surface, i.e. to symmetrically
encompass a product package. Likewise, it is possible to apply two
adhesive labels, which are e.g. spaced apart on the upper surface,
such that they extend via a respective lateral surface down to the
lower surface. Either possibility can increase the attractiveness
of the goods on sale.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the present
invention will be explained in more detail making reference to a
drawing, in which the individual figures show:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a press-on device
as part of a labeling machine in accordance with the teachings of
the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of numerous components of one
embodiment of a press-on device in accordance with the teachings of
the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a press-on device
in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, wherein
the press-on device is suitable for pressing on two opposed ends of
an adhesive label;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a product
package showing an adhesive label at a first moment of time on its
way through one embodiment of a press-on device in accordance with
the present invention;
FIG. 4B is a perspective view of one embodiment of the product
package of FIG. 4A showing an adhesive label at a second moment of
time during application of the adhesive label; and
FIG. 4C is a perspective view of one embodiment of the product
package of FIG. 4A showing an adhesive label at a third moment of
time in a fully applied condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing
figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts
throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the
characteristics of the present invention, proportional
relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained
in the drawing figures.
The following detailed description of the invention references
specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The
embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in
sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice
the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be
made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The
present invention is defined by the appended claims and the
description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and
shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled.
FIG. 1 shows a press-on device 1, here exemplarily as part of a
labeling machine 3. The press-on device 1 comprises a slide element
5 in the form of a slide plate as a support for a product package
7, with an opening 9, which is sufficiently wide for allowing a
press-on unit 11 to press an adhesive label 13 onto a lower surface
15 of the product package 7. The slide element 5 is supported on
spacing legs 16 and thus positioned on a desired level. The
press-on device 1 comprises a conveying unit 17, which moves the
product package 7 along the conveying direction T, for example
using two synchronously operated head belts 19, as shown here. A
feed belt 21 conveys the product package 7 to the press-on device 1
and a discharge belt 23 carries out further transport when labeling
has been completed. A folding element 25 folds a projecting end 27
of the adhesive label 13 into a substantially vertical position,
from which it is pressed onto the lower surface 15 of the product
package 7 using the press-on unit 11. Drive components of the
press-on device 1 are encapsulated within a cover unit 29, i.e. a
housing 29. In the present representation, further parts of the
labeling machine 3 can be seen in addition to the feed and
discharge belts 21, 23. For example, a stripping edge 31 of a label
dispenser 33 is used for transferring the adhesive label 13 from a
backing tape to the product package 7. What can be seen here is a
product package 7 at a first, right position with the adhesive
label 13 placed on top as well as at a second position further
downstream, with the adhesive label 13 folded downwards, and a
third position further downstream, with the adhesive label 13
pressed onto the lower surface 15 of the product package 7.
In FIG. 2, components of the press-on device 1 are shown, the cover
unit 29 being indicated by a broken line. The slide element 5 can
be seen, which comprises the opening 9 oriented at an oblique angle
to the conveying direction T and allowing the press-on unit 11 to
move therein, at least sectionwise. The press-on unit 11 comprises
an elongate press-on brush 35 or press-on roller 35 or press-on
blade 35 as well as a connecting piece 37 and is mounted on a
carriage 39. The carriage 39 is displaceably mounted on a guide 43.
The guide 43 is here configured in the form of two parallel,
diagonally offset, cylindrical rods 45, which are fixed to a base
plate 49 via two anchoring elements 47. The carriage 39 is fixedly
connected to a belt 53 via a connecting piece 51. The belt 53 is
tensioned around two pulleys 55, one of which is driven by a motor,
e.g. a servo motor 57. The motor 57 is controlled by a controller
71, which is usually an electronic data processing unit. Using the
drive component arrangement shown, a rotary movement R of the motor
57 and thus of the pulleys 55 is transmitted as a linear movement L
to the press-on unit 11. In an upper side 59 of the cover unit 29,
two openings 61 are provided, through which two surfaces 63 of the
carriage 39 extend and within which a linear movement L of the
carriage 39 is possible. According to the structural conditions,
the press-on unit 11 can execute the linear movement L from a home
position G to an end position E, the linear movement L being
inclined at an angle .alpha. relative to the conveying direction T,
as shown here by the respective arrows.
FIG. 3 shows a press-on device 1, which is suitable for pressing on
two opposed ends of an adhesive label 13. To this end, two slide
elements 5 as well as the press-on units 11 associated therewith
and the drive components installed within a respective cover unit
29 are arranged below the conveying unit 17. The openings 9 in the
slide elements 5 and the openings 61 within the cover units 29 are
oriented relative to the conveying direction T such that a left end
of an adhesive label 13 is pressed on first and the right end
thereof afterwards. The carriage 39 and the press-on unit 11 are
here each shown at their home position G, i.e. the starting
position prior to the press-on process. The home positions G are
here arranged adjacent to a first side 73, i.e. a left side when
seen in the conveying direction T, and a second, right side 75. The
folding element 25 is here visible for the left side 73, and a
corresponding folding element is provided on the opposite, right
side 75. Also the label dispenser 33 is shown, in which a backing
film is passed over a stripping edge 31 so as to detach the
adhesive labels 13 attached to said film and apply them to an upper
surface of a product package 7.
FIG. 4A shows a product package 7 having an adhesive label 13
applied to the upper surface 67 thereof using the label dispenser
33. In this example, the adhesive label 13 is dimensioned such that
a left and a right end 27, 69 project beyond the product package 7,
the projecting ends 27, 69 being longer than the height of the
product package 7. Alternatively, the adhesive label 13 may also
have only one projecting piece, or two adhesive labels 13 each
having one projecting piece may be applied.
FIG. 4B shows the product package 7 according to FIG. 4A after the
two projecting ends 27, 69 of the adhesive label 13 have been
folded down in a substantially vertical direction around an upper
edge 68 of the product package 7 by folding elements 25 arranged on
both sides.
FIG. 4C shows the product package 7 of the two preceding figures
after the two ends 27, 69 of the adhesive label 13 have been
pressed onto the lower surface 15 of the product package 7 using a
press-on unit 11. The adhesive label 13 has thus been folded around
the upper edge 68 and the lower edge 70 of the product package 7.
Since the adhesive label 13 is stably pressed onto the upper and
lower surfaces 67, 15 of the product package 7, it will also be
possible to label product packages 7 having a laterally projecting
upper edge 68, so that the adhesive label 13 will only incompletely
be in contact with a lateral surface 77 of the product package
7.
In the following, the method steps for pressing an end 27, 69 of an
adhesive label 13 onto a lower surface 15 of a product package 7
will be explained:
According to the present invention, the product package 7 is fed by
a feed belt 21 or a comparable device of a conveying unit 17, after
an adhesive label 13, which projects beyond the product package 7,
has already been applied to the upper surface 67 of the product
package 7. The conveying unit 17 then continues to convey the
product package 7 along a conveying direction T during the
subsequent method steps. Making use of a folding element 25, the
projecting end 27, 69 of the adhesive label 13 is folded around an
upper edge 68 of the product package 7 and extends then in a
substantially vertical direction. Subsequently, the projecting end
27, 69 of the adhesive label 13 is pressed onto a lower surface 15
of the product package 7 using a press-on unit 11. In the course of
this process, the press-on unit 11 is driven by a motor, e.g. a
servo motor 57, and moved in a linear movement L while the adhesive
label 13 is being pressed-on.
Preferably, the linear movement L executed by the press-on unit 11
takes place at an oblique angle, preferably at an angle .alpha. of
approx. -65.degree. to -75.degree., relative to the conveying
direction T of the product package 7.
In addition, it will be advisable to carry out the linear movement
L, which is executed by the press-on unit 11, at a speed
.nu.=conveying speed/cosine (.alpha.) during the press-on
process.
Taking as a basis the above described embodiments of a press-on
device 1, many variations of the latter are possible. For example,
the conveying unit 17 may convey the product packages 7 using
driver strips instead of a head belt 19. The guide 43, on which the
carriage 39 is displaceably supported, may comprise, instead of
cylindrical rods 45, also rectangular or polygonal rods, of which a
single one may then be sufficient to prevent the carriage 39 from
tilting. The carriage 39 may also comprise only a single surface
63, configured e.g. as part of a double T-shape, so as to guarantee
sufficient torsional stiffness. Hence, it would also suffice to
provide only one opening 61 through which the surface 63 extends.
In addition, it would be imaginable to arrange the components of
the press-on device 1 vertically, i.e. rotated by 90.degree.
relative to the above described embodiments, so that the labels 13
can be pressed onto lateral surfaces of a product package 7
according to the above description.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well
adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth
together with other advantages which are obvious and which are
inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain
features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed
without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is
contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many
possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing
from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all
matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are
to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions and methods described above and illustrated in
the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not
intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present
invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several
embodiments of a novel invention.
As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of
the present invention are not limited by the particular details of
the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated
that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof,
will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms "having" and
"including" and similar terms as used in the foregoing
specification are used in the sense of "optional" or "may include"
and not as "required". Many changes, modifications, variations and
other uses and applications of the present construction will,
however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after
considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All
such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and
applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the
invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is
limited only by the claims which follow.
* * * * *